CHICAGO (WLS) — In a tragic turn of events, Shedd Aquarium announced Wednesday that one of the beluga whales they rescued from a Canadian marine park has died unexpectedly.
The whale, a 23-year-old female named Peekachu, had only been under the aquarium’s care for a few weeks since her rescue.
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Peekachu arrived as part of a pod of eight rescued female belugas, all relocated from a shuttered marine park in Canada that had been inactive for nearly two years, according to Shedd Aquarium.
Initially, Peekachu seemed to be in thriving condition, engaging socially and feeding alongside her companions.
However, when Shedd’s veterinary team conducted routine blood tests on Tuesday, they discovered Peekachu was dehydrated and required immediate supportive care.
On Tuesday evening, as she was given medicine and fluids, the whale died suddenly.
“Losing any animal is immensely difficult. From the outset of this rescue, we understood each animal would be navigating a significant transition and that their complete health picture, including conditions that may have developed over time, could only become clearer through ongoing assessment and care,” the Shedd said.
The Shedd is helping to re-home 30 beluga whales from the Canada marine park.
Others are going to Atlanta, San Antonio, San Diego, and Spain.
The belugas can be up to 15-feet long and weigh up to 3,300 pounds.
Dr. Karisa Tang is the lead veterinarian and vice president of Animal Health at the Shedd Aquarium. She says they were asked to help out.
“All of these facilities in the United States and Spain have decades of experience working with and caring for belugas. And we have experience in transferring them. No one has experience in transferring 30 like this. You know, this is an unprecedented event. But in all the experience that all these facilities have, we’re able to combine all that in the biggest group project any of us have probably ever done,” Tang said.
Tang added that the moves are “very safely done, under a lot of really strict schedules and a lot of really complicated spreadsheets and logistics.”
All of the planning for these moves began back in January, said Charlie Jacobsma, the aquarium’s director of animal behavior and training. That was the first time Shedd staffers went to Canada.
“And we were really evaluating if a rescue plan was feasible. We wanted to make sure we were doing what was best for these animals,” Jacobsma said.
Over multiple visits, Jacobsma said, they interviewed the staff at the marine park in Canada and got to understand the operations there.
“When we do a transport like this, every single animal is individual. So, we really have to make sure that we’re doing what’s best for that animal, from the size of the transport container, to the size of the structure they’re in. Everything is planned out. And then we have contingencies with those plans as well,” Jacobsma said.
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